The War Diary
of
16 November
1899 to 27 February 1900
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Edited by ISBN: 0-9584112-8-X |
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John (Jack) |
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thick and
the cannon which was in position there has just had to move, has gone further
down river to take up a new position.
The
British are now charging at all points, seems to be a combined attempt to get home,
men rushing about from one place to another. North sends to West for help, and
vice versa, here you hear a cry they are thro another we have beaten them back,
certainly this last half hour has been the warmest I have seen so far. I think
the British have gained no points. I see several of the burghers dead and
wounded. The fire is hot, shells now flying in earnest. The ‘Zip, Zip; of the
Lee Metfords as it goes close by you, sometimes in
the ground sending sand all over your face. Sometimes I imagined I was hit and
said now I have got it. Men come running from the trenches, saying ammunition
was running short. I had to go over river, to show them where it was and got
several boxes over under difficulties, the river strong and the boxes heavy,
several boxes fell into river but suppose when it goes down will be able to get
them again, or rather I should say the British I think will have that pleasure.
Had hardly got into cover, when a lyddite
burst just on the top of us, painting us a nice olive green colour.
About
four o'clock, the British commenced their charging tactics again, all round at
every point. About five hundred yards lower down the river our pom pom is placed on the opposite
side to what lam and has started firing at the rate of about forty five per
minute, on a body of British advancing. I have a good view. Immediately behind
where pom pom is placed,
the whole space is covered with horses, mules, oxen and sheep, all crowded
together Just like a shower of hail the shrapnel burst, one after the other
from the British, mowing the poor brutes down just as a reaper would mow wheat,
when the stuff knocked up by these shells cleared away you could see nothing
but dead cattle covering a radius of a hundred yards, some giving the last
kicks and struggle of death, and horses on their backs with their legs
stretched up in the air. And I see five men also lying who were running down
the river bank to seek shelter. It is an awful sight. The reason of this
special fusillade on this particular spot is, the British have evidently
located the pom pom and
concentrated a whole battery’s fire on it. If one gets in close proximity of
where one of our guns are, you have a warm time of it, as the British never
leave off till they have either silenced it, or it has been removed. They
hardly leave a yard of ground without a shell falling on it, so well do they
search the place.
I get
sight of Smith on the other side of river (he and Fuller having left me about
an hour ago) corning up along river bank. As he was just opposite me, a shrapnel burst right over him covering him with stuff, the
bullets striking all round him. I don’t know why he did not get hit. He seemed
quite stupefied as I shouted time after time to him to take shelter, he simply
stood there bewildered. At last he heard me, and takes shelter where he
remained for a good hour — could not get out. The laager is now properly on
fire, every other wagon burning. I crossed river again, to see about ammunition
just before sundown and Smith came back with me. We stopped here until seven
o'clock, when firing ceased. Over, I hope, for the day.
The
loss on our side, I hear, is heavy; but number not
known, nor do I think will ever be. If you find one dead, you try to make a hole
and put the body in. Some of them barely covered. So lots are killed that
nothing will be ever known of till after the war. What the British loss is, I
cannot say, but it must be heavy. We come over to wagon and start making food,
had nothing since this morning. All round wagon, dead horses, mules, oxen and
sheep, the stench is beginning.
Having
satisfied the inner man, I go up to laager, or rather, what was the laager,
which is all on fire, the night is dark. The flames making a grand sight, very
few wagons are left intact, a sad sight, nothing but the irons laying red hot on ground. I see General, who gives order all
remaining ammunition is to be loaded off wagon, and spread here and there over
ground. Ask General, ‘Are we not going to push on tonight out of this Hell?’
Says, ’Decidedly not? I am surprised at this, as one
point is still open, which, he could, I think, get thro' By
tomorrow we will be so completely surrounded. Then no chance of getting out, nor do I think he will even try. De Wet, he says, with
reinforcements will release us, but in my opinion Cronjé
must do something on his part. The British have all the hills in their
possession and will be able to keep back any help that may come from outside to
release us. Have just seen all ammunition loaded off and each box about three
yards apart, this makes the chance less of being blown up. I am thoroughly done
up, make a bed in the best way I can, in close proximity to a lot of dead mules
and oxen. The stench is awful. It is the best place I can get. My feet are
touching the dead animals. I am off to a sort of sleep.
February 19 Monday
Awakened
long before dawn and could not get to sleep again. A sort of
uneasy feeling and thinking of all events of yesterday’s fight. About
daybreak, General sent his Secretary, Kaiser, with a flag of truce to the
British lines on our right, asking for forty eight hours armistice in order to
get our wounded into some place of safety or shelter, as they are lying all
over the place in the different trenches (I think there is a bit of ‘Schlenter’ in this). So long as Secretary is away with flag
of truce, we know there will be no firing, so took the opportunity of going a
bit round. (The British will be fools if they grant this armistice as asked
for).